Rappers turned actors, a phrase that we hear repeatedly nowadays, and so it goes one step further with the announcement of a Missy Elliot biographical movie in production.

Now it's something I can actually understand as most rappers are playing a persona, and as a result they are acting. It could also be argued that rapping on stage is more a performance than normal singing, as they are telling a tale to music, some have suggested that they are akin to travelling storytellers of old...just rich...with guns...and often made up lives.

So it is that Missy Elliot seems to have been grabbed to be the first female rapper brought to the screen, and also the first film of her own story. There's no actual word if she'll act yet, but with her Manager involved in producing then you'd expect this to be the case.

From Variety through Coming Soon:

Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal are on board to produce through Tribeca Films along with Elliott's manager Mona Scott...

...Born in Portsmouth, VA, in 1971, Elliott began her musical career with the girl group Sista. She then segued to a producing career before breaking out as a solo artist more than 10 years ago.

Wow. Doesn't sound like an inspiring tale of a rapper fighting through the slums against gun crime. Perhaps this will be different?